Discussion
Hi all,
First post on the board after doing some research about Elises. I currently run a 1999 Nissan 200sx and am seriously considering trading it in against a Elise, probably a 98/99 S1.
I'm currently trying to convince myself that its a good idea to get an Elise (apart from the obvious reasons
) because it's going to be cheaper to run and would appreciate some input from you guys.
Here's what I'm thinking...
Insurance: I'm 24 with 3years NCB and my first quote for an Elise was £400 less than for the 200sx but they wanted a tracker fitted. Cost saving here then even if I get a tracker fitted.
Petrol: I do a 40mile round trip to work, mix of traffic and A roads. Currently get ~24mpg. What's realistic in an Elise?
Tyres: Got through my last set of 4 in 8000 miles at £350 a go. How do they last on an Elise?
Servicing: 6k intervals on my 200sx. 9k on an Elise. Apart from cambelt change, costs seem comparable at a specialist at least.
Depreciation: On a 98/99 Elise I guess this is starting to slow.
Finally, I don't have a garage. Is it realistic to use an Elise as a daily driver with only the soft top?
Sorry for the long post. Any comments appreciated.
Martin
First post on the board after doing some research about Elises. I currently run a 1999 Nissan 200sx and am seriously considering trading it in against a Elise, probably a 98/99 S1.
I'm currently trying to convince myself that its a good idea to get an Elise (apart from the obvious reasons
) because it's going to be cheaper to run and would appreciate some input from you guys. Here's what I'm thinking...
Insurance: I'm 24 with 3years NCB and my first quote for an Elise was £400 less than for the 200sx but they wanted a tracker fitted. Cost saving here then even if I get a tracker fitted.
Petrol: I do a 40mile round trip to work, mix of traffic and A roads. Currently get ~24mpg. What's realistic in an Elise?
Tyres: Got through my last set of 4 in 8000 miles at £350 a go. How do they last on an Elise?
Servicing: 6k intervals on my 200sx. 9k on an Elise. Apart from cambelt change, costs seem comparable at a specialist at least.
Depreciation: On a 98/99 Elise I guess this is starting to slow.
Finally, I don't have a garage. Is it realistic to use an Elise as a daily driver with only the soft top?
Sorry for the long post. Any comments appreciated.
Martin
Standard S1 (no mods) is 30 urban, 49 open road and 40 average. If you drive it hard it doesn’t seem to make much difference so I've stopped bothering checking.
Tyres all depend on how you drive. Backs tend to wear out before the fronts. The Yokohama Advan Nevo LTS are about £95/115 front/back from dealers IIRC. If you don't drive like a nutter you should get 8k miles. If you start doing track days then you can do several ks miles in a day.
Service - Shop around, some dealers are much cheaper than others.
Depreciation - I'm no car dealer but prices have stabilised at around 12-13k for a good condition 98.
I've always garaged mine. If I was going to keep it outside I would get a hard top. No problems as an everyday car. Just treat is gently and it won’t fall apart. Only broken down once in 43K miles when hose fell off the radiator.
Tyres all depend on how you drive. Backs tend to wear out before the fronts. The Yokohama Advan Nevo LTS are about £95/115 front/back from dealers IIRC. If you don't drive like a nutter you should get 8k miles. If you start doing track days then you can do several ks miles in a day.
Service - Shop around, some dealers are much cheaper than others.
Depreciation - I'm no car dealer but prices have stabilised at around 12-13k for a good condition 98.
I've always garaged mine. If I was going to keep it outside I would get a hard top. No problems as an everyday car. Just treat is gently and it won’t fall apart. Only broken down once in 43K miles when hose fell off the radiator.
Used to have a 200sx myself. The Elise is a lot slower in a straight line but even with £2.5K of trick suspension on the Nissan, there is simply no comparison in the handling or enjoyability of the cars.
I use my Elise every day and it sits on my drive quite happily in all weathers. It only leaks a little bit when it really pours and always starts first time. 40+ mpg is easy which is ridiculously good and depreciation is infinitely better than on any of the Japanese turbo cars.
Go for it. You won't regret it!
I use my Elise every day and it sits on my drive quite happily in all weathers. It only leaks a little bit when it really pours and always starts first time. 40+ mpg is easy which is ridiculously good and depreciation is infinitely better than on any of the Japanese turbo cars.
Go for it. You won't regret it!
The Elise is a lot slower in a straight line but
I don't think so :
www.syclone.freeserve.co.uk/rivals.htm
and thats for a completely bog standard car. A 111s will cane its arse off.
DanH I don't wish to be rude but the link actually shows its faster than the Elise in a straight line. Not over 1/4 mile but:
0-100 Elise 17.4
0-100 200Sx 16.6
0-100 Elise 111S 1999 14.5
What your link also doesn't show is overall top speed. I suspect the SX would beat the Elise 118mph (125mph 111S) as well. (it does I checked 139mph I believe)
So whilst the Elise gets the 1/4 mile faster after that the SX is still going and will overtake. Not bad for a car that also has a boot and rear seats!
Turbo cars will always be beaten over 1/4 standing as that the nature of turbos. Its all horses for courses of course! Lets not have a slagging match esp as the guy was actually complimenting the Elise
>> Edited by smeagol on Tuesday 4th March 01:02
0-100 Elise 17.4
0-100 200Sx 16.6
0-100 Elise 111S 1999 14.5
What your link also doesn't show is overall top speed. I suspect the SX would beat the Elise 118mph (125mph 111S) as well. (it does I checked 139mph I believe)
So whilst the Elise gets the 1/4 mile faster after that the SX is still going and will overtake. Not bad for a car that also has a boot and rear seats!
Turbo cars will always be beaten over 1/4 standing as that the nature of turbos. Its all horses for courses of course! Lets not have a slagging match esp as the guy was actually complimenting the Elise
>> Edited by smeagol on Tuesday 4th March 01:02
"Petrol: I do a 40mile round trip to work, mix of traffic and A roads. Currently get ~24mpg. What's realistic in an Elise?"
lowest on the road Ive seen is 30mpg - best 45mpg. I used this as justification myself - my old car was a 220bhp 2.2 JDM Prelude and I used to get 20-25mpg out of that pressing on a bit - I now save £10 every time I fill the Liz up...which is about 3x a week ;-)
"Tyres: Got through my last set of 4 in 8000 miles at £350 a go. How do they last on an Elise? "
Ive been through a full set in 10K miles - but this included 4 airfield training days and 3 track days. Best Ive heard of is 28K if you do a lot of motorway miles.
"Servicing: 6k intervals on my 200sx. 9k on an Elise. Apart from cambelt change, costs seem comparable at a specialist at least. "
Servicing goes AABAAC every 9K miles (cambelt at 54K etc)
At local Lotus dealer prices are approx :
A £179
B £280
C £570
"Depreciation: On a 98/99 Elise I guess this is starting to slow."
Very slow compared to anything Japanese...in fact very close to Boxster/SLK depreciation levels ..I think most mags quote around 50-55% value retained after 3 years...have a look in Autocar/Car/Topgear for exact figures
"Finally, I don't have a garage. Is it realistic to use an Elise as a daily driver with only the soft top?"
I know a lot of people who do. I have an S2 which has never leaked a drop. I think if you get a good enthusiast owned car (S1) all the niggles will be sorted. As for security, well that depends on where you live. I do have a full Specialised cover that I picked up s/h for the Autumn/Winter, but this isnt for the rain - I live on a road lined with trees and on the S2 the black vents let them in...spending 20 mins in a morning trying to unblock the radiator is not fun :-). Most people buy showercapes for the winter anyway - both for better roof protection and also for ease of demisting in the morning.
As for the 200sx being quicker - well my old 220bhp Lude used to see off std SX's...but it dont FEEL as quick as the Elise ;-) In the real world you dont notice any difference in straight line stuff, if youre that worried then get a Sport 160, or a ready modded Elise with 160+bhp ..that will see off most cars up to a ton. If you want an autobahn cruiser to do 120-130mph in then buy something German ;-)
HTH
bogie
>> Edited by bogie on Tuesday 4th March 01:58
lowest on the road Ive seen is 30mpg - best 45mpg. I used this as justification myself - my old car was a 220bhp 2.2 JDM Prelude and I used to get 20-25mpg out of that pressing on a bit - I now save £10 every time I fill the Liz up...which is about 3x a week ;-)
"Tyres: Got through my last set of 4 in 8000 miles at £350 a go. How do they last on an Elise? "
Ive been through a full set in 10K miles - but this included 4 airfield training days and 3 track days. Best Ive heard of is 28K if you do a lot of motorway miles.
"Servicing: 6k intervals on my 200sx. 9k on an Elise. Apart from cambelt change, costs seem comparable at a specialist at least. "
Servicing goes AABAAC every 9K miles (cambelt at 54K etc)
At local Lotus dealer prices are approx :
A £179
B £280
C £570
"Depreciation: On a 98/99 Elise I guess this is starting to slow."
Very slow compared to anything Japanese...in fact very close to Boxster/SLK depreciation levels ..I think most mags quote around 50-55% value retained after 3 years...have a look in Autocar/Car/Topgear for exact figures
"Finally, I don't have a garage. Is it realistic to use an Elise as a daily driver with only the soft top?"
I know a lot of people who do. I have an S2 which has never leaked a drop. I think if you get a good enthusiast owned car (S1) all the niggles will be sorted. As for security, well that depends on where you live. I do have a full Specialised cover that I picked up s/h for the Autumn/Winter, but this isnt for the rain - I live on a road lined with trees and on the S2 the black vents let them in...spending 20 mins in a morning trying to unblock the radiator is not fun :-). Most people buy showercapes for the winter anyway - both for better roof protection and also for ease of demisting in the morning.
As for the 200sx being quicker - well my old 220bhp Lude used to see off std SX's...but it dont FEEL as quick as the Elise ;-) In the real world you dont notice any difference in straight line stuff, if youre that worried then get a Sport 160, or a ready modded Elise with 160+bhp ..that will see off most cars up to a ton. If you want an autobahn cruiser to do 120-130mph in then buy something German ;-)
HTH
bogie
>> Edited by bogie on Tuesday 4th March 01:58
I bought my car with two previous owners - both didn't care much for it - Paintwork needed a full scrub up etc.
My car had lots of annoying niggles but a bit of common sense and some posting on here has sorted all of them bar the drivers windows alignment.
She doesn;t leak and has been extremely reliable. Now I've just got to sort the suspension/steering issue out (Potholes - There are thousands round here!).
DO IT!!!
My car had lots of annoying niggles but a bit of common sense and some posting on here has sorted all of them bar the drivers windows alignment.
She doesn;t leak and has been extremely reliable. Now I've just got to sort the suspension/steering issue out (Potholes - There are thousands round here!).
DO IT!!!
Good, good. Just what I wanted to hear. Thanks for all your input. All good for justyfying the change to the other half.
I've basically read all of elises.co.uk so I think I know what I'm looking for. My main concern is premature steering rack and suspension wear. Is this something I should worry about?
Thanks again, Martin
I've basically read all of elises.co.uk so I think I know what I'm looking for. My main concern is premature steering rack and suspension wear. Is this something I should worry about?
Thanks again, Martin
"What your link also doesn't show is overall top speed. I suspect the SX would beat the Elise 118mph (125mph 111S) as well. (it does I checked 139mph I believe) "
I have to say that 118 mph is a bit of an under estimation, i have regulary seen 125 with more left on a standard elise and with the stack being acurate to within 1 mph at 100 mph, you want to put your foot down
I have to say that 118 mph is a bit of an under estimation, i have regulary seen 125 with more left on a standard elise and with the stack being acurate to within 1 mph at 100 mph, you want to put your foot down
Insurance - shop around, not everyone requires a tracker. try autotorque.co.uk
fuel - yip, 40mpg is easily achieved.
tyres - as prev posted it does depend both on the tyres & what you do - easily get 15k out of a set of Pzeros, though i'd say you'd be lucky to get 8k out of a set of rear advans especially if you tracked it.
daily use - it's my only car & therefore used daily in all weathers. i would highly recommend the elemental to put on overnight. waterproof the roof with fabsil too. if you can get one with a HT then do so - they look effing great with one on - so it's like having three cars.
as for top speed, i've had around 138mph out of mine - 111s with exhaust / induction mods. goes like stink to 80/90 - noticeably quicker than a standard or s135 as respective drivers have told me.
nick
fuel - yip, 40mpg is easily achieved.
tyres - as prev posted it does depend both on the tyres & what you do - easily get 15k out of a set of Pzeros, though i'd say you'd be lucky to get 8k out of a set of rear advans especially if you tracked it.
daily use - it's my only car & therefore used daily in all weathers. i would highly recommend the elemental to put on overnight. waterproof the roof with fabsil too. if you can get one with a HT then do so - they look effing great with one on - so it's like having three cars.
as for top speed, i've had around 138mph out of mine - 111s with exhaust / induction mods. goes like stink to 80/90 - noticeably quicker than a standard or s135 as respective drivers have told me.
nick
footman james do very good limited mileage polcicies if applicable? My Liz sups less juice than my mondeo, which is every excuse to use it all the time (except when i need to lug bikes/surf stuff about)! Def a superb everyday car as long as you don't need to carry things about every day. Fun, comfortable, most are reliable?, can get the top down but snug with it up, easy to drive - get one!!
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